Effects of Relaxed Lockdown on Pediatric ER Visits during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Italy

Luigi Matera, Raffaella Nenna, Francesca Ardenti Morini, Giuseppe Banderali, Mauro Calvani, Matteo Calvi, Giorgio Cozzi, Raffaele Falsaperla, Roberto Guidi, Ahmad Kantar, Marcello Lanari, Riccardo Lubrano, Beatrice Messini, Antonio Augusto Niccoli, Vincenzo Tipo, Fabio Midulla and on behalf of the CICERO Group
Additional contact information
Luigi Matera: Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Raffaella Nenna: Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Francesca Ardenti Morini: Pediatric Unit, Sant’Eugenio Hospital, 00144 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Banderali: Department of Clinical Paediatrics, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
Mauro Calvani: Operative Unit of Pediatrics, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, 00151 Rome, Italy
Matteo Calvi: Pediatric Emergency Department, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, 24127 Bergamo, Italy
Giorgio Cozzi: Institute for Maternal and Child Health Burlo Garofalo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Raffaele Falsaperla: General Pediatrics and Pediatric Acute and Emergency Unit, Vittorio Emanuele University Hospital, 95121 Catania, Italy
Roberto Guidi: Department of Pediatric Emergency, G. Salesi Hospital, 60123 Ancona, Italy
Ahmad Kantar: Pediatric Unit, Istituti Ospedalieri Bergamaschi, Gruppo Ospedaliero San Donato, 24059 Ponte San Pietro, Italy
Marcello Lanari: Pediatric Emergency Unit, Scientific Institute for Research and Healthcare, Sant’Orsola Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Riccardo Lubrano: Pediatric Unit, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
Beatrice Messini: Pediatric Unit, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, 06034 Foligno, Italy
Antonio Augusto Niccoli: Pediatric Unit, Fabrizio Spaziani Hospital, 03100 Frosinone, Italy
Vincenzo Tipo: Pediatric Emergency Department, Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital, 06049 Napoli, Italy
Fabio Midulla: Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
on behalf of the CICERO Group: Membership of CICERO Group is Provided in the Acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: Previously, we demonstrated an 81% reduction in pediatric Emergency Room (ER) visits in Italy during the strict lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Since May 2020, lockdown measures were relaxed until 6 November 2020, when a strict lockdown was patchily reintroduced. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of the relaxed lockdown on pediatric ER visits in Italy. We performed a retrospective multicenter study involving 14 Italian pediatric ERs. We compared total ER visits from 24 September 2020 to 6 November 2020 with those during the corresponding timeframe in 2019. We evaluated 17 ER specific diagnoses grouped in air communicable and non-air communicable diseases. We recognized four different triage categories: white, green, yellow and red. In 2020 total ER visits were reduced by 51% compared to 2019 (16,088 vs. 32,568, respectively). The decrease in air communicable diseases was significantly higher if compared to non-air communicable diseases (?64% vs. ?42%, respectively). ER visits in each triage category decreased in 2020 compared to 2019, but in percentage, white and red codes remained stable, while yellow codes slightly increased and green codes slightly decreased. Our results suggest that preventive measures drastically reduced the circulation of air communicable diseases even during the reopening of social activities but to a lesser extent with regard to the strict lockdown period (March–May 2020).

Keywords: air communicable infections; emergency rooms; social activities reopening; lockdown measures; pediatric; pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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